19 Apr 2012

PNG Office of Higher Education working on doubling university graduates

4:39 am on 19 April 2012

The director general of the Papua New Guinea Office of Higher Education says more work is being put in to double the number of university graduates.

Professor David Kavannamur says by 2015, under the Medium Term Development Plan, the universities aim to be graduating just over 11 thousand people annually, which would lift the number of Papua New Guineans with degrees to more than 50 thousand.

But he says current annual figures for graduates are just over six thousand.

Professor Kavannamur says to achieve the higher numbers the government is already addressing gaps in the infrastructure available in the six universities and colleges.

"Government has commenced, back in 2009, with a grant of 80 million kina (39 million US dollars) for the six universities to start off with and that has been fully expended up until last year. It has been mainly for rehabilitation and recapitalisation of university equipment."

The director general of the Papua New Guinea Office of Higher Education, Professor David Kavannamur.